Houston Rockets courtside reporter Vanessa Richardson is leaving Space City Home Network for an expanded role at ESPN.
Houston Rockets courtside reporter Vanessa Richardson is leaving Space City Home Network for an expanded role at ESPN.
Houston Rockets fans will soon see a familiar face on a much bigger stage. After four seasons reporting from the sidelines, Vanessa Richardson is leaving Space City Home Network for an expanded role at ESPN.
Richardson is among several Texas media personalities announcing major career changes this month. From a West Texas anchor walking away from local news after a decade to reporters trading the Lone Star State for new opportunities elsewhere, the departures are piling up.
Here's who's moving on and where they're headed next.
Rockets reporter heads to ESPN
Vanessa Richardson spent four seasons covering the Houston Rockets from the sidelines. She's moving on to a new chapter at ESPN.
Vanessa Richardson spent four seasons covering the Houston Rockets from the sidelines. She's moving on to a new chapter at ESPN.
Richardson announced Thursday that she's leaving her role as courtside reporter for Houston Rockets broadcasts on Space City Home Network, which also airs Houston Astros games. ESPN has included Richardson in its NBA commentator lineup for the 2026-27 season.
"Serving as sideline reporter of the Rockets for the past four seasons did not just change my career, it changed my life," Richardson wrote on social media.
The Indiana native reflected on the relationships she built with players, coaches and colleagues, from spending holidays on the road to trash-talking on the team plane during the grueling 82-game NBA season.
"The magic was not only in broadcasting the games, it was in the day-to-day," she wrote.
Richardson joined the Astros' pre- and postgame coverage in May 2022 before succeeding Cayleigh Griffin as the Rockets' courtside reporter. She previously spent two years as a sports anchor and reporter at KPRC 2, leaving the Houston station in December 2021. Earlier in her career, she worked at WLWT in Cincinnati and on the syndicated radio program The Bob & Tom Show.
Her move to ESPN isn't entirely new territory. Richardson has worked part-time for the network for several years, hosting sports talk radio and digital programming, including Hoop Streams. She's also covered the NBA Finals, Summer League and the NBA Draft.
"I'm grateful to continue the journey at ESPN in an expanded role, and I'm ready to get to work," she wrote.
Former CBS Texas reporter lands new gig
Former CBS Texas reporter Lauren Crawford has joined WSOC-TV in Charlotte, N.C.
Former CBS Texas reporter Lauren Crawford has joined WSOC-TV in Charlotte, N.C.
Another familiar Texas TV face has already hit the ground running at her new station in North Carolina.
Former CBS Texas reporter Lauren Crawford announced Thursday that she's joined WSOC-TV Channel 9 in Charlotte, where she's already reporting local news. The station published stories under her byline as early as Oct. 9.
"I've loved getting to know the people who make this community so special!" Crawford wrote on social media.
Crawford left the Dallas-Fort Worth station in July after three years reporting in her hometown market.
Before joining CBS Texas, Crawford worked as a morning reporter and anchor at WGHP FOX8 in North Carolina. She began her on-air career at WBTW News13 in South Carolina.
West Texas anchor exits after decade
CBS7 Midland-Odessa anchor Matthew Alvarez signed off on Friday after a decade at the station.
CBS7 Midland-Odessa anchor Matthew Alvarez signed off on Friday after a decade at the station.
A West Texas anchor whose television career began just days after high school is saying goodbye to local news.
Matthew Alvarez said goodbye to CBS7 Midland-Odessa on Friday, ending a decade at the station, including nearly eight years on Wake Up West Texas.
"I started at CBS7 only days out of high school as an intern," Alvarez wrote in an Oct. 2 announcement. "I could never have imagined the career ahead of me and the amazing people I've had the honor of working alongside."
Alvarez joined CBS7 in June 2016, working his way up from intern to producer before becoming an anchor in 2018. He joined Wake Up West Texas as an anchor and executive producer in January 2019.
Unlike the other personalities making moves, Alvarez isn't heading to another newsroom. He's leaving local news altogether.
"I am nervous, but excited for my next chapter outside of local news; more on that later," he wrote.
Alvarez has yet to reveal what's next.
Austin reporter heads home to Michigan
Former KVUE Austin reporter Michael Courier is returning to Michigan for a new role at WZZM in Grand Rapids.
Former KVUE Austin reporter Michael Courier is returning to Michigan for a new role at WZZM in Grand Rapids.
After four and a half years in Texas, KVUE reporter Michael Courier is heading home to Michigan.
Courier signed off from the Austin station Oct. 9, announcing that he and his wife are returning to their home state. He'll join WZZM in Grand Rapids as a reporter and anchor later this month.
"Although my time in Austin was relatively short, the impact this city and my coworkers had on my life is truly difficult to put into words," Courier wrote on social media.
Courier joined KVUE's Daybreak team in July 2025 after three years at KVIA ABC-7 in El Paso, where he held reporting, anchoring and producing roles.
Originally from Bay City, Mich., Courier studied journalism at the Colorado Media School in Denver before moving to Texas in 2022.
"Can't wait to meet everyone and get to know my home state even better!" he wrote.